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Are You Linked In?

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It’s the growing craze across the nation; online networking for the professional business community. LinkedIn is the leading professional online network with over 46 million members worldwide. They get a new member every second.

In essence the site hooks you into a network and enables you to work smarter and ensure you maximise your connections and tap into their knowledge.

This isn’t facebook. LinkedIn emphasises staying in touch with professionals you have previously worked with or done business with. It is a platform where you can cultivate new business leads and job opportunities. And most importantly you do that through a network of people you know and trust.

A strategically created and managed LinkedIn account can boost your company’s credibility and visibility, and thus result in increased website traffic, leads and sales.

What should I use LinkedIn for?

  • Building an online reputation
  • Meeting key contacts within your field
  • Generate business and sell products
  • Find quality job candidates
  • Promote professional identity
  • Find online communities that align with your professional interests

What are the most important things to do on LinkedIn?

  1. Build your profile – Start by building a detailed profile. Use a current photo, so people can see who you are. Select the geographic location so your profile is connected to people in the place where you do business. Select the appropriate category for your business. List past jobs, educational achievements, products and services. If you have people who can recommend your work that will help your credibility – communicating the value of what you do from another source. Your profile can also contain up to 3 website links, make sure that these showcase your work to the best advantage either via your own site or through work you have done for others.
  2. Build your network – it is important to spend some quality time actually building an effective network for yourself, finding new contacts and linking up with old ones. Think quality not quantity when adding contacts. LinkedIn is designed to be a usable networking tool, not somewhere where you have hundreds of contacts that you never interact with.
  3. Build your reputation – ask and answer useful questions to build your credibility and showcase your expertise. The good ones give people a reason to look at your profile and add authority to your name. By answering questions in your field you can quickly become seen as an expert.

What tools can I use on LinkedIn?

  1. LinkedIn Events
    This is a very simple feature where you can submit an event allowing you to promote it to users both inside and outside your network. On and off line events can be included and it’s also an opportunity for you to find events you might be interested in attending.
  2. Blog Link or Word Press
    If you write a professional blog, have the blog content automatically brought into LinkedIn by one of these 3rd party applications. This means that your most recent posts are displayed and promoted within your profile.
  3. Shareslide or Google Presentation
    A great way to build your credibility and to clarify your areas of expertise is to use the powerpoint presentations you build offline publicly on LinkedIn. These applications post your presentations for you to be viewed by people both inside and outside your network.
  4. Groups and Discussions
    This is one of the most used and useful features on LinkedIn. Members start groups where other members have discussions, share news and post jobs. The great thing is that these are ready segmented mini markets just waiting for you to tap into them. Groups are a brilliant place to build visibility among people who are interested in your area of business. Again though, make sure that the information is up to date, relevant and interesting.
  5. Searches
    Many people use the system as a simple content management database. The information on LinkedIn can provide you with access to any company, person or network you want to connect to. Plus if you don’t know who to look for a particular question, need or opportunity, a quick search will tell you who you already know who matches your criteria, and who you should know.
  6. Updating Information
    You can send out emails to up to 50 people at a time to let people know about something new happening. When you post a question in Q&A you can send the question out to up to 200 connections in addition to making the question public. You also receive lists of updates from other people’s profiles via email and at the bottom of your profile. All these are opportunities to reconnect with people and spread the word.
  7. Job Postings
    You can attract the best calibre of applicant through LinkedIn – using their profile as well as their application to judge. You can have free job postings through the groups you are a member of or you can pay for a public 30 day posting via the site.

What can I expect in terms of future developments on LinkedIn?

The site is continually improving to offer more and more services to members. Mobile is one area the site is currently developing and improving to make the site accessible for people wherever they are throughout their working day.

The Company Buzz application, allows members to track what is said about a company on Twitter. The application filters conversations based on customisable search terms, allowing them to see who is talking about a specific company and its products.

The Amazon Reading List is a fully integrated application that allows members to share information about the books they are reading and discover what they should be reading.

There will always be a place for offline networking as it plays a vital role in building strong, ongoing relationships. However online networking enables you to connect with a wider group of contacts and stay in touch more frequently.

Furthermore, sites such as LinkedIn aren’t just about maintaining connections, they are about helping professionals to develop their careers, raise their personal brand and work more effectively.
 

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